Israeli Finance Minister Claims ‘No Such Thing’ as Palestinian People

Facts

• Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that Palestinian people are 'an invention' of the past century in a speech in Paris on Sunday. He further added that 'there is no such thing as the Palestinian people.'¹
• He spoke at a lectern decorated with what appeared to be a map of Israel that included the occupied West Bank, Gaza, and Jordan.²
• Jordan’s Foreign Ministry described the comments and map as a 'reckless inflammatory act' that violates the peace treaty between the two countries, while Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh pointed to it as evidence of the 'extremist, racist Zionist ideology' of the Israeli government.²
• A spokesperson for Smotrich said conference organizers set up the flag for the minister, who was a guest at the event, though no comment was made about his speech.³
• Smotrich has made several headlines recently for other comments about Palestine, including calls to 'wipe out' the Palestinian village of Huwara in the West Bank.⁴
• His latest comments came a day after an Israeli and Palestinian delegation met in Egypt to discuss steps to lower tensions ahead of the region ahead of Ramadan and Passover, which coincide in April.⁵

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Associated Press, ³Reuters, ⁴Al and ⁵Guardian.

Narratives

• Pro-Israel, as provided by Newsweek. Israel faces an average of seven attempted terror attacks a day. That's 2.6K per year. The personal security of Israeli civilians is under constant threat, but the mainstream media likes to ignore important contexts and label the Israeli government as 'racist extremists.' The history of Israel and Palestine is not clear-cut, but what matters now is peace and security for all — Jews, Bedouins, Circassians, Druze, Arabs, and others. That is what the current Israeli government, and its ministers, are striving for.
• Pro-Palestine, as provided by Arab news. The Israeli government is becoming increasingly vocal in its persecution of Palestinians, as threats and attempts to wipe out Palestinian identity aren't even veiled anymore. Smotrich is at the forefront of this deadly rhetoric and should not be allowed to get away with the comments he's making. The international community, especially the United States, should take a stance and bar him from entering.